It is remarkable is how being out of the limelight for over 20 years Thatcher remains such a vivid character, the physical and spiritual embodiment of the changes that took place in 80's Britain. I suspect both those that admire and those who despise her are giving more personal credit than is due for the shape of our society. Deregulation, denationalisation and the death of manufacturing would have occurred even if a different Tory had won in 79. It may have happened more slowly or differently but we would have got here. We might be a little more like France, but the fundamentals would be the same.
The victory in the Falklands is diminished when it becomes apparent that the problem of what to do with them hasn't gone away. That war and its cultural place sits as a barrier to resolution. However, unlike Tony Blair's wars she got to enjoy the full sheen of victory.
There are similarities between Thatcher and Blair but I sense Tony is always waiting to be proved right by history. Thatcher never gave the impression that she was concerned with anyone's opinion but her own.
The victory in the Falklands is diminished when it becomes apparent that the problem of what to do with them hasn't gone away. That war and its cultural place sits as a barrier to resolution. However, unlike Tony Blair's wars she got to enjoy the full sheen of victory.
There are similarities between Thatcher and Blair but I sense Tony is always waiting to be proved right by history. Thatcher never gave the impression that she was concerned with anyone's opinion but her own.
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